Decorating & Design
May 23, 2023
8+ Ways To Make Your City Space Feel More Like A Meadow Garden
City gardens aren’t known for their space, so it’s not always easy to create a free-flowing meadow. Garden designer Leigh Gravenor worked her magic in her client’s contemporary home in downtown Toronto with a 30’x30′ backyard. To contrast the home’s clean lines, the owners wanted a lush, naturalistic garden with little to no color — only shades of green and white. The result is a relaxed and low maintenance space that feels like a little escape in the middle of a bustling metropolis. Click through for Leigh’s tips on how to create your own meadow garden, plus discover the plants she used to achieve the look!
1. Choose A Mix Of Low-Maintenance Plants
A meadow garden is by nature, low maintenance, but that doesn’t mean no maintenance. “You need to weed things out as things establish in the first year. Just make sure that you’re matching the plants to the site conditions, because meadow gardens do need sun and well-drained soil,” says Leigh.
In the front yard, low-maintenance ferns die back to nothing in the winter, and they’re naturalistic and native (Leigh cautions against aggressive Ostrich ferns, which spread by underground rhizomes and can take over). A planter full of Karl Foerster grass and mass planting of ‘Little Bunny’ Fountain Grasses and Oakleaf hydrangea add to the relaxed feel. Meanwhile, Astilbe is shaded by a native serviceberry tree. “We included some plants that wouldn’t typically be seen in a meadow, but can handle some shade.”
2. Break Up Hard Lines
The backyard houses an ipé wood deck and concrete path. “There were a lot of hard lines, so we softened it up with a limited plant selection and simple mass plantings.” The grouping of birch trees near the seating area is designed as the focal point. “The white bark is a beautiful accent on the outside, and the leaves add movement.”
3. Plant Trees For Privacy
A large Japanese Maple (right) was planted to add privacy, underplanted by Oakleaf hydrangea. “The maple has beautiful structure and as it grows it will provide a canopy and privacy from the neighbors; that’s why the branches are not heavily pruned.” Easy-care Oakleaf hydrangeas planted underneath don’t have to be cut back in the fall.
4. Layer In Grasses
“Mexican Feathergrass (seen left) is used as a backdrop all around the deck and adds movement. As it grows, you feel like you’re sitting in the middle of a meadow.” Because it’s shady underneath the birch trees, ferns will thrive.
5. Vary The Heights Of Plantings
This raised, powder-coated black planter elevates this bed and offers a clean look. It contains plants like native Serviceberry, ferns and Mexican Feathergrass.
6. Swap Lavender For Nepeta
“Everybody loves the smell of lavender, but I find it gets leggy and messy. I gravitate towards Nepeta because you end up with these long-blooming, beautiful mounds. It seems to be a bit hardier than lavender, yet still conveys that Mediterranean feel, and comes in purple as well as white so it mimics that lavender hue.”
7. Feed The Bees
Pollinator plants are so important to help feed bees, especially in urban gardens. This bed is full of White Nepeta (in the foreground) which is drought tolerant. “Bees love it, along with coneflower, Astrantia and wildbergamot. If you just sprinkle these plants into the garden — hopefully you’re not attracting the full hive! I think it contributes to the modern meadow feel, and it softens the powder-coated steel container, the deck and concrete path.”
8. Emphasize Texture, Not Color
“The difference between a naturalistic garden and more of a modern meadow is that you’re not using as many different types of plants. Create mass plantings in a meadow garden, and keep the palette restrained. Think about varying plant height too: the Mexican Feathergrass is wispy and lovely.”
9. Think Four Seasons
“Consider seasonal interest. When we create a plant list we always think about spring bloomers like alliums, early grasses, and long summer bloomers like Nepeta,” says Leigh. “Choose plants you don’t have to cut back in fall for winter interest, like grasses and coneflowers (aka echinacea).” To create spontaneity, mix in grasses, wild flowers and the shrub and allow for enough space between plants so they don’t grow on top of each other.
Click here for more great gardening tips.
Patrick Biller
Leigh Gravenor, Gravenor Landscape